Going where I'm going, one way or the other

June: a month dedicated to young love, blessed by a Goddess, and much ado about “I do.”

Here we go again: another example of having to live with a “god” created by those pesky Romans. They just couldn’t leave well-enough alone. Remember May?

Now we’ve got Madam Juno; another Goddess-Wife god (in fact, she was the Queen of ALL gods; the “First Lady of gods” – thanks to her marriage to the biggest god of them all, Jupiter.) Naturally, in her role as First Lady, her claim to fame was marriage, being the ultimate housewife, all-things matronly, and motherhood, all of which won her the admiration of Roman women. No, that’s not quite right: they literally idolized her; prayed to her to watch their backs. They even had a huge celebration on March 1st every year devoted to her. It was big! (Roman women obviously picked up a thing or two about throwing a party from their menfolk.)

So here we are, a couple thousand years or more later and there is a month named in her honor. Everybody’s ok with that (as if we had a choice.) But the other thing that happens a lot in June because of Juno, “First Lady of the gods – Queen of the Goddesses,” is marriage. We get married in June. Lots and lots and lots of folks get married in June. For many, getting married in June is considered the proper time to tie the knot. Supposedly, a June wedding brings good luck to the marriage. (There was a song named “Cupid” recorded by R&B singer Sam Cooke. It was one of his biggest sellers. You guessed it; June was when it was most popular, mainly with women. I wonder why?)

Now that I have the subject of music AND June on your mind; in a wildly popular musical (in its day) by Rogers & Hammerstein, one song stood out: “June is bursting out all over!” Listen to the lyrics: its singing the praise of young love and how June gets the “juices flowing ( they said that, not me. Check it out on YouTube.) Well, you can thank Queen Juno (according to the Romans) for this rampant display of emotions among the young. She was their patron saint, so to speak. Mix all this up with Queen Juno’s birth flower – the Rose, with its beauty and wonderful fragrance, and you’ve got a match made in heaven. As Seal so eloquently sang in his song “Kiss from a Rose” – it was “…his power, his pleasure, his pain.”

Want to guess who rocketed that song to the top of the charts? Women!

Another fact about Queen Juno: she could hurl thunderbolts like her husband, Jupiter. So if young Mister Quintillus Servetus Maximus was kind of shaky about marching down the aisle, First Lady Juno could literally put the fear of a god into him. Man! Talk about lighting a fire under his butt.

Oh, almost forgot: the most famous of First Lady Juno’s birth stones was pearls; gorgeous radiant (expensive) pearls – in various colors. Pearls can be worn on any occasion – yes, even weddings. I am willing to bet the farm; well, my city block at least, every lady can tell you when she got her first set of those oval masterpieces. How she “styled and profiled” in front of her mirror matching them with dresses, blouses, jackets – you name it; how they unleashed her most glamorous self.

Are you beginning to get the picture of what Queen Juno wrought upon our world?

Here’s one last thing about the Queen of the Goddesses – the First Lady of gods: she was the almighty protectress of childbirth. Remember that celebration by Roman women in her honor each March 1st? Think about it: all those marriages in June had to mean more Roman Citizens the following March

June is still about “hot fun in the summer time.” Take the R&B band Sly & the Family Stone’s hit song of the same name: It’s all about young love found in the summer, only to be lost in the fall of September. For many, June means the start of the summer vacation season, BBQ; fighting for a bit of space on sandy beaches. Then there are those hearty souls who love hair-raising rides. Well, June opens the gates of the parks that promise thrills and chills through turns, twists and jaw-dropping descents at speeds that will leave your heart in your throat.

Hot June: when biking, hiking, climbing and running in the great outdoors takes hold; finally shaking off the last bit of winter’s cold memory and spring’s watery “hello.” June: when the spirit of Queen Juno’s words whispers to young lovers to think about the much ado beckoning them to say those magic words: I do.